Caregiver for disabled

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Summerville
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Caregiver for disabled

Post by Summerville »

To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing on behalf of Shaun, who is mentally and physically disabled. He is currently without income at all, as am I, his 11+year partner and live-in caregiver. Shaun and I were living on his long term disability benefits for the past 6+ years, until the insurance company sold to another company, who then denied his claim and cut off his monthly benefits. While he has a lawyer working to appeal this/reinstate his benefits, and another lawyer helping him to apply for Social Security Disability as well, currently we have absolutely no income.
We are in Winsted, Connecticut, which is in Litchfield County. Winsted is a tiny town, without any public transportation, any real economy/stores, or help. Shaun and I had a social worker from the town we used to live in, Bristol Connecticut, (from 6 years ago this March, when our apartment building there was suddenly condemned and we were given 5 days, 2 of which were a weekend, to leave.) This social worker, , quit her job in April 2020 and I had to find this out randomly on the internet. We were not told, and no new social worker was assigned to us. We need a new social worker.
We are currently applying for food stamps and cash benefits within CT, and are trying to find fuel assistance to pay the back/overdue electric bill- the entire apartment we are in currently in Winsted is electric, including the heat. The www.dss.ct.gov/staywarm link we were given by DSS does not work/exist apparently. I tried the local Salvation Army several years ago and they were not any help, nor was calling 211. We are 2 months behind on electric bills, not counting this month of January, which just began.
We also are unable to pay any rent. The current apartment we are in typically costs $750 a month for rent; there is however a late fee, $75 for each week the rent is late. At present due to Covid-19 protections, we aren't facing eviction yet, but if no assistance is given, we will be. This month, January, is the first month we have been behind on rent.
We do not have a printer, a cell phone, a fax machine, etc. nor access to one. We can not download/print out anything. The local post office is approximately a 3 mile round trip walk for me from our apartment, and the local post office refuses to send anything unless it is sent by Priority Mail- we can not afford the cost of postage to send out forms at this time either.
Shaun has a checking account, which is solely because his long term disability insurance company insisted on paying him via direct deposit, and to order food and basic necessities online with the debit card. He has approximately $60 left at this time in the account. I handle all the paperwork, banking, etc. as well as his daily care, like cooking, helping him eat, dress, etc. due to his disability, but I am not on the account due to my bad credit from a past bankruptcy, divorce, etc.
We both are completely without assets; no vehicles, no life insurance policies, nothing. The electric is not included in the rent, nor is our one and only, landline telephone, or internet, (which I have to order food from Walmart and Target because there is no grocery delivery in this town either. Only non-perishable foodstuffs are delivered to us, ordered online from Walmart and Target's websites.)
We only have Medicaid as our health coverage; in CT they nickname it "Husky" for some reason, instead of just calling it Medicaid.
Shaun has short term memory loss, cognitive issues like difficulty with retention of new information and confusion, comprehension problems, and inability to form new memories. His long term memory is starting to erode as well. He also has tremors in all his limbs, head/face/jaw/neck, and torso. These often cause him to fall unconscious for varying lengths of time. Pain and weakness in his legs, headaches, and depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, are also among his disabilities. He needs a walker to walk at all, and then only for a very short period of time, such as to a car for a ride to an appointment, or to the bathroom. He has been unable to drive for over 5 years, and his driver's license expired before he could get a ride to the nearest DMV to surrender it for a state ID card. His federal student loans were forgiven due to his disability approximately 3 years ago; his condition is gradually worsening, he will not work again.
I am home with him, taking care of him and basic household chores, etc. full time. I also do not drive, and never have held a license. We can't get to an office to apply for any aid, and with Covid-19 being such a huge risk. We have lived in quarantine for 7 years at this point basically, he only leaves home when necessary for medical appointments it would likely be discouraged anyway. So we are hoping to be put into contact with someone who can help us.
The DSS worker I spoke with during the required phone interview for food stamps and cash assistance was unwilling or unable to help with much; he said to try to find a social worker by calling 211, which I have already done to no avail.
Any assistance would be appreciated greatly.
ChuckieMac
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Re: Caregiver for disabled

Post by ChuckieMac »

Hello, I'm Delores and I live in Arizona, Mesa. The vehicle I own has broke down, and it's my only means of transportation. It needs a motor replacement, and it is way to expensive for me to handle alone. I am a caregiver for disabled people, and I need the car for work.
I am definitely not financially able to afford another vehicle as a Caregiver. I am looking for any help I can get, to get it back on the road so I don't lose my job. I need help with a way to get back and forth to work while my car is getting repaired. As soon as possible. I'm a in home caregiver for the elderly. I love what I do and don't want to lose my job with her. The parts for car are do able, labor and a rental car are my issue!? Please I've looked into other things and I'm in need of help like now! please...DM.
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